If tolerance is "a two-way street," don't even think about holding a parade on it.
An Arkansas church with a policy of welcoming LGBT congregants was allegedly barred from participating in an annual Easter Parade on Saturday over signs their marchers planned to carry that had an inclusive mention, Inquisitr.com reports.
Signs with the message "Jesus loves all," proved to be too controversial for Eureka Springs, Arkansas' "Celebrate Jesus Easter Parade," when the town's First Methodist Church was informed by organizers that they were no longer welcome to participate in the annual event.
According to Suzie Bell of the First Methodist Church, approval to participate in the parade was initially granted, but organizers changed their minds a week before the event.
"They wanted to know what our banner was going to say and it said 'Jesus loves all,'" Bell told local station KNWA. "They had decided that they did not want us in the parade."
Bell says that their church is a "reconciling congregation" meaning that it publicly welcomes the LGBT community. She says the decision to exclude her group was "based purely on our love and acceptance of the LGBT community."
Spokesperson for the parade Laura Nichols issued a statement in regards to this allegation, but neglected to mention the reason for the First Methodist Church's exclusion.
"This day isn't a day of pointing fingers or playing the blame game. This parade is to honor our Lord and Savior and for praising God for sending His only Son who willingly went to the cross, died and rose on the third day that when we repent of our sins and accept Him," the statement read.
"Regardless of what has been stated in the papers. We do not have anything against the Methodist Church. After al,l my uncle was a Methodist minister. Nor do we have anything against the homosexual community. When I worked downtown I had homosexual people that I considered my friends and still do," Nichols said.
In spite of Nichols' alleged history of having gay friends, the First Methodist Church remained unwelcome at the parade.
"I'm sad that this is something that would divide Christians," Bell told KWNA. "It doesn't seem right."
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